Saving lives and reducing road trauma is the focus of a road safety group that partners East Gippsland Shire Council with the Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria Police, and local community bodies including the Twin Rivers Group and the East Gippsland Active Transport Group.

High-risk driving behaviours such as speeding, using mobile phones while driving, drink and drug driving, and hoon driving are among the issues that are actively addressed.

The East Gippsland Local Community Road Safety Group, which has met quarterly for more than eight years, currently has its focus on these key points:

Road safety initiatives: Road improvements and safety projects implemented or planned by Council, and their rollout across the 2,898km of roads that Council maintains as well as paths and other areas.
Department of Transport and Planning network-enhancement projects: Exploring projects aimed at improving the shire’s arterial network.
Funding opportunities: Funding opportunities for local government and community groups, ensuring that road-safety efforts are adequately supported.
Safety messaging: Highlighting campaign-based programs featuring variable message sign board trailers (VMS) and billboard trailers which display safety messages across the shire to reach a wider audience.
Data-driven decision-making: Allocation of data-collection grants to allow for better understanding of community movement so that road safety measures can be tailored accordingly. Victoria Police plays a vital role in these data discussions, sharing local statistics and trends, which helps to identify areas where Council and community road-safety partners can collaborate to tackle road trauma.  

Advocacy: Presenting a case to government for changes to road funding, road standards and initiatives to address road safety issues. In the past six months, this has included representation at both Federal and State government parliamentary investigations into road issues.

The Local Community Road Safety Group’s collaborative approach has helped Council secure government grants to support programs and projects including:

-       The East Gippsland Shire Road Safety Strategy2023-28, bolstered by a $30,000 TAC Road Safety Grant Program grant.  

-       Federal-funded road safety projects, including enhancements to Nungurner Road Safety ($85,000), Sydenham Inlet Safety ($187,000) and Bogong High Plains Road Safety Works ($300,000).

-       Successful advocacy for Tambo Upper Road black spot funding, resulting in the installation of guardrails ($280,000 provided by the Federal Government’s Department of Infrastructure Black Spot Funding Program).

The Local Community Road Safety Group invites community involvement. The next meeting will be held Wednesday 15 November. To join the group, contact Road Safety Coordinator Peter Morton on (03) 5153 9500 or feedback@egipps.vic.gov.au. 

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